Three missing, two bodies recovered as pupils drown in Kaduna

Three pupils of a Kaduna State secondary school were missing after five of them drowned on Wednesday during an excursion programme.

Staff, friends and families of five students of Victory International Schools, AngwanYelwa, Television garage in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, remained in shock yesterday over the incident.

It was learnt that the boat in which 73 pupils of the school who were on excursion, capsized leading to the drowning on River Kaduna.

It was learnt that each of the pupils paid N500 to guarantee them participation in the programme.

They were said to have arrived the Kaduna State Water Board pump station, located around the Railway Station axis of Kaduna metropolis at about 11am on Wednesday,accompanied by two staff members..

The victims, all SSS 2 pupils were four male and one female – Priscilla Romania (female), Goodness Aromilade, Monday Umahi, Joseph Benedict and David Ukegbu. All of them between 14 and 16 years old.

Police spokesman AliyuMukhtar said two bodies had been recovered from different parts of the river by yesterday afternoon.

He said: “We were informed and we swung into action immediately and we were able to rescue some of them including two teachers on Wednesday.

“As we speak, we have recovered one body and we are about to recover another one we just discovered floating at Kudenda axis of the river making it two bodies.

“They did not inform us when they were embarking on the excursion at least for security reason but they informed us after the unfortunate incident. People should not take the security of their lives and that of their children for granted. It is unfortunate and we are doing everything possible to search for the drowned children”.

“We are putting everything to work including fire brigade and local divers to recover the remaining missing bodies”.

The DPO in charge of Kakuri Police station CSP BenshakDakyer explained that he was told that the school wrote to the management of the facility that they were coming for an excursion and it was approved.

“We learnt that they did a follow up on Tuesday, a day before the unfortunate incident and it was confirmed that they could come,” he said.

He explained that the iron boat which was used in moving the students to the position where water is pumped from broke and the boat capsized.

CSP Benshakadded that other formations along the flow of the river were on alert to watch out for the missing children. He said 10 kids initially drowned before five got out. They were rescued and treated and discharged from hospital.

One of the rescued victims said he escaped narrowly by clinging unto one of the irons “I then managed to come out by swimming. My friends were also trying to come out but the pressure of the water was so much,” he added.